Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Persistence Over Talent
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There was no such thing as talent for magic.
Not like the tales of sages and grand archmages—mastering equations at six years old, or becoming a 4-star mage at thirteen...
Anyone could see that her lack of talent was so profound she couldn't even dream of such grand feats.
"Hello, Miss Warden. I'm Carolline. Starting today, I'll be your magic tutor."
When she decided to pursue magic, her father had scoured the magical world to invite a woman named Carolline as her tutor.
Her credentials were dazzling.
She had received her early magical education from the genius Madelia Page and graduated at the top of her class from <Delaiten> just last year.
"Come on, Christa. Greet your teacher."
She had no interest in pointless introductions. There was something far more important to ask.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"Even without talent, can I become a genius mage respected by everyone...?"
Carolline, who had been smiling warmly, handed Christa several math problems and told her to solve them.
"Whenever you get stuck, there are some formula references here—take a look and keep going."
"By myself?"
"By yourself. No matter how long it takes. Then I'll answer your question."
Those problems far surpassed basic material, the kind handled in the upper division. She devoted a full two months to them.
She cut back on sleep to study foundational formulas on her own, tackling college-level problems over and over.
She didn't give up.
She didn't get discouraged.
She knew she had no talent, so all that drove her was sheer stubborn determination to solve them all.
During that time, Carolline merely read books or tempered her own mana nearby, offering no advice whatsoever.
"Hee hee, it took a total of 72 days."
"..."
"Your approaches were interesting, but all five problems are wrong."
She had expected her teacher's surprised expression and praise, but instead, the world went dark before her eyes.
"Now that I'm in a position to be your master, I won't give you false hope—I'll tell you straight. Christa, you can never become a genius mage. You're not a genius to begin with."
"...?!"
"You can't live like the geniuses who left their mark on history. You'd do best to give up."
Hearing those words felt like being bludgeoned with a blunt club. For a moment, her mind went blank, then her eyes burned hot.
She was furious.
And even more heartbroken.
As she turned to flee and hide her tears, Carolline grabbed her shoulder, her usual smile completely gone.
"But so what if you're not a genius?"
She stepped closer to the frozen Christa, kneeling on one knee to meet her eyes with sincere warmth.
"In those 72 days, I saw potential in you far more boundless than any genius."
The contradiction left her speechless. A shout mixed with sobs burst out.
"You just said I'm not a genius! Then what potential are you talking about?!"
"Courage."
"Courage?"
"The courage to never give up, to keep challenging to the end... It's called persistence, or effort."
"...Is that better than being a genius?"
"No, it isn't. But it can catch up to a genius."
If a genius travels ten li in a day and rests, we just keep going ten li without rest. If a genius crosses the sea on a sailing ship, what then? We paddle after them on a raft.
"The destination is fixed in the end. It'll be grueling and exhausting, but someday, you'll catch up."
"...Really?"
"Of course. I'm living proof. My master called me a hopeless dullard more than a hundred times."
As Christa let out a hollow laugh, Carolline suddenly pulled the girl's small body into a tight embrace, patting her back.
"It's okay. Even if you're not a genius. You can't become a genius mage, but you can become the greatest mage. I'll make sure of it."
It's okay.
You can do it.
The greatest mage, admired by all. And the legacy of your life will shine a light on future mages lost in despair.
Ah, we can do it too... that kind of light.
Carolline's eyes glimmered with nostalgia as she briefly recalled that distant past.
In the bright present—not that dark, hopeless time—the evaluation of the girl's accumulated efforts was underway.
"Christa Warden's magic is 3-star."
Lead professor Marhena peered into the magic circle first, then passed the score sheet to the others.
"Christa cadet's magic circle is quite beautiful. How to put it... it exudes elegance."
"A combination of squares, circles, and octagons—triple attribute blending earth, water, and steel."
"But at its core, it's 3-star... Can it really beat Cadet Cayden's 4-star? The sheer volume is a world apart."
That was a fair point.
Elin Ludwig (excluded from judging due to blood relations with a cadet) nodded as well.
"Higher rank doesn't always mean an advantage."
It's harder to achieve perfect aesthetic effect like Cayden's, but if successful, lower-rank magic can't match the overwhelming class difference.
'The Harimun kid challenged a higher rank, so mistakes would create openings—but now that it's succeeded...'
That's when it happened.
"No, this isn't just any 3-star magic."
Assistant Professor Kyle, scrutinizing the circle with keen interest, declared as much, then injected his mana directly to demonstrate.
"...?!"
"...?!"
"...?!"
First, metallic ripples spread across the ground, countless steel beams rising like serpents to form a foundation.
Then, golden and blue veils tangled chaotically, draping over it like flesh on bone, dancing wildly.
When the dizzying light show ended, a grand mansion had appeared out of nowhere in the Dragon Hole Field.
"I recreated my family's mansion with magic."
The audience stared blankly at the mansion before erupting in breathless awe.
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"
"You can tell it's incredible even from afar!"
"You can create something like that with magic?!"
Even the postgraduates from the Eight Great Academies—peers of Christa Warden with deep magical knowledge—were stunned.
"What detail... I could believe it's a real mansion."
Elegant curves spread through every corner of the castle-like structure with its five square towers, flaunting aristocratic beauty.
The grand hall, with its high ceiling open to absorb the energies of heaven and earth, gleamed with sunlight, while wisteria vines covering the exterior walls shimmered with vibrant green as if alive.
The Warden family crest—a castle—was meticulously engraved at key points, scattering golden light. The professors showered it with praise.
"This is beyond magic. It rivals architecture!"
"The math used—planar coordinates, rational functions, and... Lin's infinite function? Such a masterpiece from advanced math like that?"
Lin's infinite function...
Sighs of admiration rippled through the stands. That formula, notorious for driving people mad with its complexity— she could wield it?
Famous texts on handling Lin's infinite function opened with this:
[The lifelong researcher of Lin's infinite function, Hunnis, suicided in 1268. His successor, Willa Blado, died young at 36 from a nervous disorder. Now it's your turn, reader.]
But amid the waves of gasps, one voice dissented.
"No. The math is impressive, but not the core. What to focus on are the runes."
It was Assistant Professor Kyle.
As all eyes turned to him, he floated glowing characters in the air with his specialty magic.
[Curse (呪), Transform (嬗), Bind (錮)]
Professors who grasped the runes' meanings gaped one by one. Kyle nodded.
"All the runes Cadet Christa used are dual runes."
"Sharp eye. Yes. For the steel attribute, she used Curse (呪)—desire and malediction, securing both the beams' strength and durability."
As Christa explained with haughty confidence, the cadets buzzed.
"Those runes..."
"Definitely from the prelims..."
The most outraged was none other than Kasena Page.
"What?! Those are the runes Rain taught me! That wench copied them!"
Professor Carolline chuckled softly.
'Don't get so worked up. That's how us mortals fight.'
Unlike geniuses born with everything, mortals start with nothing. They have no choice but to desperately scavenge weapons from their surroundings.
'That lump of crap... absorbed every performance Rain Ludwig put on since school started as fuel for her growth.'
Professor Owen smirked with genuine amusement.
'At the semester's start, the importance of rune-magic circle compatibility; by finals, the endless applications of dual runes...!'
Not wasting a single failure experience. Not despairing, but learning from them!
'What incredible material. That blockhead will soon be one of magic's leading figures.'
Christa continued.
"The Transform (嬗) rune in the earth magic has 'continuing' and 'changing' properties, the key to elevating qualitative and quantitative details in a single-attribute spell."
Lead Professor Marhena handled the final explanation.
"The Bind (錮) rune in the water magic—'patching' and 'restraining'... filled moisture only where needed, eh?"
"Yes. And Lin's infinite function handles infinite numbers, so I could extend the formula as desired. That perfected the details."
Ah, so that's it.
All that visible aesthetic beauty stemmed from the caster's overwhelming mathematical and magical knowledge—a true treasure trove of thought.
'Is this the potential the young Warden heiress, future of her house, shows us...'
No wonder the magic's volume is so rich. Triple attributes, all dual runes... equivalent to two 3-star spells.
Finally, Marhena nodded to the professors.
They each scribbled scores on their sheets and raised them simultaneously.
[9]
[9]
[10]
[10]
[10]
[10]
[9]
[10]
[9]
[9]
The professors' scores totaled... 95 points. Wild cheers exploded from the stands.
"The lead professor gave a 9! That's unprecedented!"
"Beating 4-star with 3-star and hitting the all-time high score?!"
"That's Warden's win, right?!"
Even Lorelei of Harimun slumped in disappointment, but she couldn't deny it.
'Art is subjective taste... and the Warden lady's was as splendid as Cayden's.'
Christa couldn't hide her excitement, her face flushing red, but she bit her lip to calm herself.
'It's not that simple... as long as that guy's still around.'
Since enrolling in <Delaiten>, Christa had always delivered her peak performances.
But.
However.
Each time, a genius overtook her as if to say "watch this." Namely.
'Rain Ludwig...!'
Would she finally beat him this time?
Or chase his shadow again?
As if answering her question, the black-haired pretty boy strode between Christa and Cayden to the judges.
"I'm not confident in artistic sense, but I prepared as best I could."
Like a child proudly showing a hidden treasure, he hid a shy smile behind a cough and presented his score sheet.
"This is my idea of beauty."